AP WORKLIST END USER GUIDE

Transcription

1 AP WORKLIST END USER GUIDE Initial release June 2007 Version 1.1 (released December 2007) Link to Purchase Order information notification Profile option Version 1.2 (released May 2008) Comments New/revised rejection reasons Initiator Access via START Maintain Lists Version 1.3 (released November 2008) Split charging data entry Additional Hold(s)

2 Table of Contents OVERVIEW...5 Bounces...5 ACCESS...6 Roles: Submitter / Approver...6 Potential Access Issues...9 WORKLIST...11 Tool Icons at Top of Screen...11 Menu...11 Profile Exit...11 Help...11 Feedback...11 Worklist Column Headings...12 Worklist Date...12 Vendor Name...12 Invoice Number Invoice Amount Invoice Date...12 Payment Terms Status...12 o New...12 o Submitted...12 o Approved...12 o Rejected...12 Action(s) Required...12 o Approval...12 o Initiator...12 o PTAEO...12 o Receiving...12 o SubK...12 Routing Org Purchase Order...13 Comments...14 DETAIL SCREEN...15 Header Information...15 Vendor...15 Invoice Number...15 Invoice Description...15 Invoice Approver...15 Invoice Creation...15 Vendor Number...15 Amount...15 Vendor Site...15 Invoice Date

3 Worklist Date...15 Purchase Order button...16 Distribution Detail...17 Line...17 Type...17 Item Description...17 Amount...17 Original Charging...17 Hold Information...18 Hold Name(s)...18 Action(s) Required...18 Additional Hold(s)...19 Receiver...20 Sub-Contract Hold...21 Edit Charging Instructions...22 Default All...22 Text Boxes for PTAEO Segments...22 VIP...22 Exp Type...22 Initiator...22 Split...22 Distribution Fields not Available for Editing...25 Exp Item Date...25 Text Box...25 Locked Distribution Lines...26 Matched to a PO...26 Reversed...26 Posted...26 Split charging...26 PTAEO Validation...27 Status Line...27 Status...27 o New...27 o Submitted...27 o Approved...27 o Rejected...27 Last Updated By...27 Last Update Date...27 Action Buttons...27 Submit/Approve...27 Reject...27 Comments...28 o Note from AP Holds...29 o View/Enter Comments...29 o Enter Comments...29 o Entering and Viewing Comments

4 o Feedback for AP...32 No Document(s) / Show Document(s)...33 Navigation Buttons...33 Edit Previous...33 Edit Next...33 Return to Worklist NOTIFICATIONS...34 Profile Option...35 ROUTING SEQUENCE...36 Invoices that are not routed...37 Hold Codes...37 Vendors...37 Fully posted invoices...37 Other Circumstances...37 AP ROUTING HOLDS...38 HELP...39 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION...40 Relevant Yale University Policies and Procedures...40 Companion Tools

5 OVERVIEW The Accounts Payable Worklist system is designed to route invoices directly to the unit that is required to take action on the invoice in order to release the active invoice hold(s). All such invoices will be listed on the AP Worklist ( Worklist ) for that unit. The Worklist presents the user a list of all the invoices that are on an active invoice hold and currently in need of a PTAEO correction, confirmation of receipt of goods/services, and/or approval by that unit prior to the hold being released and the vendor being paid. The Worklist enables the user to take action on the invoice directly, rather than providing the information to AP via . The information entered by the user directly updates the invoice in Oracle without the intervention of AP. The Worklist provides a faster and more efficient process for releasing invoices that are on hold. The business office determines who is given access to the Worklist. Users who are in the START Disbursement Approvers list will have the ability to approve invoices on the Worklist. Users who are not disbursement approvers may edit Worklist invoices and submit them for approval by the disbursement approver. The business office assigns access based on the organization(s) or department(s) for which the user is responsible. Because of this, multiple individuals from the same department may have access to the same Worklist. It is recommended that departments develop a procedure to regulate how the Worklist is managed by multiple users within their office. Bounces Currently, invoices under $100 with invalid charging instructions, but a known organization code are automatically written to that organization s bounce account (project ) and paid. They are not being routed via the AP Worklist application. However, Yale University Procurement plans to begin routing bounces through the application in fiscal year The AP Worklist is designed to route invoices that are on hold. Bounces are not invoices that are on hold. Rather, they are invoices where the organization that incurred the expense can be identified and the invoice amount is less than $100. Under these circumstances the invoice is paid to the unit s bounce account. It is not placed on hold. Because the invoice is not on hold, it is not recognized by the router. 5

6 ACCESS Departmental Business Managers or their designees arrange for Yale Staff to access the AP Worklist by contacting Rob Bores, Yale University Procurement, at Changes to access or cancellations of access are processed in the same manner. The following data should be provided: The names and NetIDs of the individuals requiring access to the application. This should be the individuals who currently process the invoice holds for the unit. and The portion(s) of the University Oversight Hierarchy to which the individuals will need access. Access may be granted at any branch of the hierarchy, from the Officer level to the Organization level. The larger the branch the easier the access will be to maintain for the unit. The Hierarchy may be viewed online by following this link: The Business Manager for that individual will be required to approve the START request initiated by Procurement. If business managers would like to maintain this list without the assistance of Procurement, that capability will be made available to them upon request. Roles: Submitter / Approver Within the AP Worklist application an individual is either an approver or a submitter. The role the individual is assigned is determined by whether or not she is a disbursement approver in START. If she is a disbursement approver, then she is an approver within the application. If she is not, then she is a submitter. Please note, the orgs for which an individual is able to approve invoices within the AP Worklist application are not linked to the orgs identified within the disbursement approvers list in START. If an approver, the individual will be able to approve all invoices to which she has been given access within the AP Worklist application and are, therefore, routed to her Worklist. Also note that no dollar limits may be imposed on approval authority through the AP Worklist application. However, as the Worklist identifies the invoice amount, departments may opt to establish their own internal practices as to whom will approve invoices over certain amounts. 6

7 An individual s role will be readily apparent upon opening the detail screen for an invoice. The button on the bottom left corner of the screen is dynamic and will identify the role Approve or Submit. This user is not a disbursement approver in START and therefore has the ability to submit invoices, but not approve. Because this role is determined by the disbursement approvers list in START, the only way to change an approver to a submitter or a submitter to an approver is by changing the disbursement approvers list in START. This may be accomplished through the START Maintain Lists responsibility in Oracle s E-Business Suite. 7

8 This user is a disbursement approver in START and therefore has the ability to approve invoices. 8

9 Potential Access Issues Two access requests are necessary and both must be completed in order for an individual to use this application. Access to the Oracle responsibility titled Invoice Approval Worklist. If this responsibility is listed on the Oracle E-Business Suite, this access has been provided. This user has the AP Worklist responsibility in the Oracle E- Business Suite. 9

10 Access to the appropriate org(s) for the unit. If this request has not been completed the individual will receive an error message when he opens the AP Worklist. You will see this error message if you have not been provided with access to at least one org. If access has been provided, but no invoices are on the Worklist, the message "No Worklist Records Found" will appear when the application is opened. In this instance, there are no invoices on hold for any of the orgs to which the individual has access. 10

11 WORKLIST All invoices that appear on the Worklist are on an active invoice hold, meaning action by the user is required before the hold may be released and the vendor paid. Up to 50 invoices may be listed on a single screen. Navigation buttons are provided to move through a multi-page Worklist, if necessary. The invoices appear on the Worklist by worklist date in descending order. Navigation Buttons Tool Icon Column Headings Tool Icons at Top of Screen The following tool icons are available to the user in the top right corner of the screen: Menu. Returns the user to the Oracle E-Business Suite Navigator, which is the main menu for Oracle applications. Profile. Allows the user to determine the frequency of notifications. (See additional information in the Notifications section below.) Exit. Exits the Worklist and all Oracle applications, returning the user to the log-in screen. (Always click exit to end a session rather than closing the browser.) Help. Provides a link to the Procurement webpage and the contact information for both the ITS Help Desk and the AP Help Desk. Feedback. Provides contact information in order for the user to suggestions or to ask non-urgent questions about the Worklist. 11

12 Worklist Column Headings Worklist Date. The date the invoice was routed to the routing org and placed on the Worklist. Vendor Name. The vendor name as it appears in Oracle. Invoice Number. This provides a hyperlink to the detail screen for the invoice. Invoice Amount. The total invoice amount. Invoice Date. The invoice date. Payment Terms. Indicates the terms of when the invoice will be paid. Common terms are: Net Cash (paid immediately upon approval); Net 30 (paid 30 days after the invoice date); 1% 10; Net 30 (1% discount if approved and paid within 10 days of invoice date, otherwise 30 days from invoice date). Status. Invoices on the Worklist may be in one of the following statuses. o New Indicates that the invoice has not yet been reviewed and submitted by the submitter or approved by the approver. o Submitted Indicates that the invoice has been reviewed and submitted for approval by the submitter. In addition to New and Submitted, an invoice may also be in one of the following two statuses. o Approved Indicates that the invoice has been approved for payment by the approver. Once approved, it is removed from the user s Worklist and is not available for further editing. o Rejected Indicates that the submitter or the approver has determined that the invoice should not be paid by his or her organization. Once rejected, it is removed from the user s Worklist and is routed to AP. It is not available to the user for further editing. To learn more about rejecting invoices click here. Action(s) Required. Identifies the action(s) necessary to release the invoice hold. The user is required to perform one or more of the following actions: o Approval Approve the invoice. o Initiator Identify the initiator for the transaction. o PTAEO Provide a valid PTAEO for the distribution(s) specified on the detail screen. o Receiving Identify the person who verified that the goods or services were received and satisfactory. o SubK Identify the sub-contract number for an invoice. Routing Org. This column indicates the organization to which the invoice on hold was routed for action. On department Worklists, this is based on the organization segment of the PTAEO. 12

13 Purchase Order. If the invoice has been matched to a Purchase Order, the PO number will be displayed as a hyperlink to the PO. If the invoice was matched to more than one PO, the hyperlink will read Multiple. If the invoice was not matched to a PO, no hyperlink is available and the cell reads None. From the Worklist, the Purchase Order column will display one of three possibilities: If the invoice has been matched to one PO, the link is the PO number. If the invoice has been matched to more than one PO, the link reads Multiple. If the invoice has not been matched to a PO, a link does not appear and the column reads None. Clicking on PO number or Multiple will take you to the PO Summary screen. As shown here, the PO Summary window that appears when linking from the AP Worklist is virtually the same as in Procurement Inquiry. It also includes links to additional detail screens. 13

14 Comments. If a comment has been added to the invoice this column identifies the name of the person who entered the comment and the date the comment was entered. If the AP Holds team entered the comment, AP Holds is identified and is in bold text. The AP Holds Team is communicating with the User about this invoice. 14

15 DETAIL SCREEN The detail screen provides the user with basic information about the invoice as well as the ability to enter the necessary information to release the active invoice hold(s). Header Information The top of the screen shows the basic invoice information. Header Information Vendor. Invoice Number. Invoice Description. Invoice Approver. Invoice Creation. Vendor Number. Amount. Vendor Site. Invoice Date. Worklist Date. 15

16 Purchase Order button. If the invoice has been matched to a PO, the user may view the PO by clicking on this button. You can also link to the PO Summary from the Purchase Order button on the invoice detail screen. Clicking this button will take you to the same screen as above. 16

17 Distribution Detail The information provided by the vendor and contained on the distribution line(s) of the invoice is displayed in the second portion of the detail screen. Distribution Detail Line. The distribution line number. Type. A categorization of the line expense (i.e., Item, Freight, Miscellaneous or Tax). Item Description. Amount. Original Charging. o This field will only be populated if the vendor or an internal department sent the invoice electronically. The original charging data will be shown as the vendor provided it to AP through the import process. The data may include one of the following: PTAEO; VIP Number, the VIP Owner, and the PTAEO underlying the VIP Number; Purchase Order number, PO line, unit price and quantity. 17

18 Hold Information The active invoice hold(s) (the hold(s) that require action by the user) are listed in this third portion of the detail screen. Hold Information Additonal Hold(s) button Hold Name(s). For a complete list of all the invoice holds please follow this link Action(s) Required. o Each hold requires the user to perform a specific action before the hold may be released and the vendor paid. All actions the user is required to perform appear in this box. Those actions are as follows: Provide a valid PTAEO for the lines specified on the detail screen. Identify the person who verified the goods or services were received and satisfactory Approve the invoice. Provide a valid initiator. Provide a valid Sub-Contract number. o As the user takes the action identified, said action will be removed from the actions required field. 18

19 Additional Hold(s). If there are other holds on the invoice, the Additional Hold(s) button will be available on the detail screen. After the department has approved the invoice, it will be routed to the next action owner identified. If more than one additional action owner is identified, the invoice will be routed to each subsequent action owner in this sequence: AP Workflow Hold AP AP Workflow Hold Grants & Contracts AP Workflow Hold Department AP Workflow Hold AP Director AP Workflow Hold Controller Identifies the Action Owner for the hold 19

20 Receiver If the invoice is on an active invoice hold which requires acknowledging receipt of goods or services, the user will see Receipt of Goods/Services Verified by and a box to enter the individual s name. This will appear immediately following the hold information. By clicking on the flashlight next to the box, the user can search for the individual in one of the following ways: Full Name. Enter the last name first using initial capital letters (e.g., Doe, Jane). NetID. Enter NetID in all capital letters (e.g., AA123). . Enter the address in all lower case letters (e.g., jane.doe@yale.edu). Enter person who verifies receipt of goods or services here. 20

21 Sub-Contract Hold Currently, the sub-contract holds are being managed centrally by Accounts Payable and Grants and Contracts. The Sub- Contract Number is entered here. 21

22 Edit Charging Instructions PTAEO edits are performed on this portion of the Detail Screen. Unless the line is locked (see below for conditions that lock PTAEO lines from editing), the user may edit a portion or all of the PTAEO in one or more of the following ways: Default All. The first line, identified as All in the line column, allows the user to enter one PTAEO in the open fields on that line. After clicking the Default All button, all of the unlocked distribution lines in the invoice will be populated with that PTAEO. Text Boxes for PTAEO Segments. All other distribution lines appear on the detail screen as they do in Oracle. One or all of the PTAEO segments may be edited by the user by keying directly over the numbers in the text box. VIP. The flashlight to the right of the VIP text box allows the user to key in a VIP number and populate that line with the PTAEO translation. This action is performed when the user clicks the Search button in the VIP text window. The user may also enter the VIP number directly into the text box on the detail screen and the same function will be performed upon clicking the Tab key. Exp Type. The flashlight to the right of the Exp Type text box, allows the user to search for the appropriate expenditure type in one of the following ways: o Expenditure Type. o Expenditure Code. o Expenditure Category. o Expenditure Description. Initiator. The Initiator is the person who requested the goods or services. Split. If a distribution line should be split across multiple PTAEOs, the user may click the Split button on that distribution line. If the distribution line does not contain a Split 22

23 button, that distribution is not open. It has been locked from editing and may not be split. Distribution 3 may be split, but distribution 2 may not. Copy and delete buttons are available. Once the data entry is complete, click Save Splits. The dollar amount may be entered by percentage. Upon clicking the Split button, the split window opens allowing the end user to enter up to ten (10) new PTAEOs for that distribution. Delete and Copy buttons are provided for each split distribution. VIPs may be used and the expenditure type locator is available. Split 23

24 distribution dollar amounts may be entered either by a specific dollar amount or by a percentage. Once the split data has been entered, the end user clicks the Save Splits button. At that point the system checks the math to verify the split distributions total the distribution dollar amount; and the PTAEO validator runs against the split PTAEOs. An error in the math or an issue with a PTAEO will result in a specific error message for the end user. All errors must be corrected prior to the splits being saved. Functions available on the split window: Copy Button. Allows user to copy data (i.e. Project, Task, Award and Org) from that line into the next available row. A different Expenditure Type must be entered manually for each split. Delete Button. Allows user to delete data entered for the corresponding distribution line. Amount Field. Allows user to manually enter the dollar amount for each PTAEO. Percent Field. Allows user to split charges by percentage for each PTAEO. This field only recognizes whole values. (For example, users may enter split percentages such as 33%, 33%, 34% to total 100%, but may not enter 33.5%, 33.5%, 33% as the system will not recognize it.) Save Splits Button. Allows user to save the data (i.e. charging instructions) entered. Delete Splits Button. Allows user to delete all PTAEOs entered. Cancel Button. Allows user to cancel the action and return to the detail screen. Remainder Field. Indicates the remaining dollar amount that needs to be split. Distribution Total Field. Tracks the total dollar amount available to be split. Split charging was entered for this distribution. To view the charges entered, click the Split button. 24

25 The split may be viewed, edited or deleted by clicking the Split button and taking the appropriate action. After split distributions have been saved, the invoice must still be approved. When the approver clicks the approve button, the invoice will be routed to AP where the requested split charging will be entered manually. The above view of the split charging instructions may be obtained by clicking the Split button after the invoice has been approved. This must be done before the Detail Screen for that invoice is closed. Once it is closed, the invoice may not be retrieved by the department. Distribution Fields not Available for Editing Exp Item Date. The default is the invoice date. The PTAEO validation is performed as of the EID. Text Box. The text box under the default all button will indicate one or more of the following, if applicable: o Reversal o Matched PO o Posted o Split Click Split Button o Invalid PTAEO. If the invoice is in a hold account (Project ), the text box for that line will contain the Invalid PTAEO message. The user will not be able to submit or approve the invoice until all PTAEO issues are resolved. 25

26 Locked Distribution Lines In the following situations the distribution line(s) will be locked and the user will not be able to edit the PTAEO. Matched to a PO. If the purchase order was created without a data entry error, and the match was performed correctly by Accounts Payable, no edits to the PTAEO will be performed by Accounts Payable. The department may perform a JSA. The text box states Matched PO and identifies the PO number and line that were matched. Reversed. The text box states Reversal, indicating that AP has nullified the distribution. Posted. The text box states Posted, indicating that the distribution has been transferred to the General Ledger. Split charging. The text box states Split Click Split Button. Edits may be performed by clicking the Split button, which opens the split window. 1 and 2 are examples of Posted and Reversed distributions. Distribution 3 is available for editing. An invoice may present the user with the ability to edit some of the lines, but not all of the lines, depending on the circumstances. 26

27 PTAEO Validation Once the user edits a portion or all of the PTAEO and clicks the Submit or Approve button, the system will validate the PTAEO. If no issue arises, the distribution line in Oracle will be updated accordingly. If the PTAEO validation fails, the user will be prompted with specific instructions indicating the distribution and PTAEO segment which failed. The user will not be able to submit or approve the invoice until all PTAEO issues are resolved. If split charging distributions have been added to a distribution, the split PTAEOs will be revalidated. Status Line The status line provides the status of the invoice and the current routing hold only. It does not provide information about invoice holds that may precede or follow the current hold. The text boxes on the status line will be updated on the detail screen once the submit/approve or reject action is performed by the user and is successfully completed. (See Additional Hold(s) section above for more information.) Status. The status on the detail screen will match the status column of the Worklist. See the status section of the Worklist for definitions of the following: o New. o Submitted. o Approved. o Rejected. Last Updated By. The NetID of the user who took the action. Last Update Date. The date the user took the action. Action Buttons The buttons along the bottom of the detail screen are as follows: Submit/Approve. o This button is dynamic. If the user is a disbursement approver in START, the Approve button will be visible and the user will be considered an approver. If the user does not have such authority, the Submit button will be visible and the user will be considered a submitter. o Submit. Once the submitter has reviewed the invoice, has made the appropriate modifications, and is ready to present the invoice to the unit s approver, the user will click the submit button. The invoice will remain on the submitter s Worklist until it has been approved or rejected by the unit s approver. o Approve. Once the approver has determined that the charging instructions are correct, and the invoice is ready for payment, the user will click the approve button. A department approver will become the approver of record for the invoice. This information will not populate the approver field in the header until the detail screen has been refreshed. Reject. Rejecting an invoice indicates that the submitter or the approver has determined that the invoice should not be paid by his or her organization. Once rejected, the invoice is removed from the user s Worklist and is routed to AP and is not available to the user for further editing. Either the submitter or the approver may reject an invoice under one of the following circumstances: o Invoice misdirected to wrong organization. o Invoice was already paid (for example, by Yale credit card or through EMS). 27

28 o Cancel invoice; it will be processed through an internal e-invoicing system (FAMIS, ORBIS, etc). o Goods or services were never received and never ordered. o Match the invoice to a purchase order (Comment Required). o Other (Comment Required). Once rejected, the invoice is removed from the user s Worklist and is not available for further editing. The invoice is routed to AP for further processing. All rejection information entered will be visible as a comment to the invoice. To learn more about rejecting invoices review our Invoice Holds 411 document. Comments. Users may add a comment to the record of the invoice on hold or read a comment entered by the AP Holds Team. This can serve a few purposes: o Document an action taken to release the hold, such as sent to Peter to verify receipt of goods on 3pm. o Document a communication that took place with the Initiator regarding the invoice. Up to 3,000 characters may be entered in the comment field. This allows users to copy and paste the text of an to the comment field. o The submitter may communicate with the approver regarding the changes that were made to the invoice and the research done to verify that the invoice should be paid. o The AP Holds Team may communicate with the department about the specific issue(s) regarding the invoice. Such as: PO Commitment has been met ; or The PTAEO entered as (b) for the split charge to distribution number 3 is invalid. Please provide valid charging. Any information entered via the comments function will become part of the permanent record for the invoice and may not be deleted. 28

29 The comments button on the detail screen is dynamic and will indicate whether or not a comment has been entered and by whom. It will read in one of the following ways: o Note from AP Holds. Indicates the AP Holds team is communicating something specific to the department about the invoice. In all cases this note should be read before any action is taken on the invoice. The Comments column on the Worklist will identify AP Holds and the date the note was entered. This text will be in bold type. o View/Enter Comments. Indicates an individual other than a member of the AP Holds team has entered a comment. The Comments column on the Worklist will identify the name of the individual and the date the comment was entered. o Enter Comments. A comment has not been entered yet. The comments column on the Worklist will be blank. Comments button is dynamic 29

30 o Entering and Viewing Comments. To view or to enter a comment, click the action button. If a comment has not been entered yet, the following screen will appear: The user may type the comment and click the Submit button. 30

31 If a comment has already been entered, clicking the action button brings the user to the screen below. This screen will also appear after the end user submits a new comment. Any comments entered to date will appear in descending order. To enter an additional comment, click the Enter Comments button. 31

32 o Feedback for AP. Worklist users are also provided with the opportunity to select Feedback for AP as the comment type. Click Feedback for AP, enter the comment and click the Submit button. The intended purposes for this Comment Type are: Notify AP when the data on the invoice appears to be clean, but the invoice was placed on hold and it is unclear why that may have occurred. The user has noticed a pattern with the invoices of a particular vendor going on hold and would like to bring this to the attention of AP. Entering this type of comment will not route the invoice to AP prior to payment. The following prompt will appear as a reminder when the Feedback for AP comment type is submitted: The AP Holds team will periodically run a report to review the feedback that is entered. 32

33 No Document(s) / Show Document(s). This button is dynamic. If an image of the invoice is attached to the invoice, the Show Document(s) button will be available. Otherwise, the No Document(s) button will appear. Navigation Buttons The user may not use the browser s navigation buttons to navigate through the application. The buttons provided along the bottom of the detail screen are to be used for navigation within the application. Edit Previous. Edit Next. Return to Worklist. 33

34 NOTIFICATIONS notifications are sent to all end users regarding the invoice(s) on his or her AP Worklist. The will identify the number of invoices and the length of time the invoices have been on the Worklist. notifications are sent automatically in the early afternoon. The following is a sample of the text: You have one or more invoices requiring action in your Invoice Approval Worklist. To review the invoices shown in the summary below, please log in to the Worklist by selecting Financials, Procurement and HR Applications in YAMS. 1 Day or Less in Worklist: New / Submitted : 2 / 0 Total : Days in Worklist: New / Submitted : 0 / 0 Total : Days in Worklist: New / Submitted : 13 / 0 Total : Days in Worklist: New / Submitted : 2 / 0 Total : 2 Over 30 Days in Worklist: New / Submitted : 7 / 0 Total : 7 notifications will: Alert Submitters to the number of New invoices they have not yet reviewed and submitted/rejected. Alert Approvers to the number of Submitted invoices they have not yet approved/rejected. Grand Total: New / Submitted : 24 / 0 Total Number of Invoice in Worklist : 24 As multiple people may have access to your organization's invoice worklist, it is possible that the list may have more or fewer invoices when you review it. NOTE: This is an automated notification. Please do not reply. However, if you have any questions or comments, you may contact ap.holds@yale.edu or phone AP Help Desk at

35 Profile Option Allows individuals to identify the frequency of the notifications: Daily Weekly (Monday afternoon) Reminders Only Regardless of the profile setting however, individuals will receive an notification if an invoice has been on his or her Worklist for two weeks or more. A separate notification is NOT sent to the approver when the invoice has been submitted. o o o If Reminders Only is chosen, the notification will only be sent if an invoice has been on the Worklist for two weeks. Thereafter, you will receive it weekly until the invoice has been cleared. If the frequency is not specified, the default is weekly. Regardless of the frequency chosen, you will be sent an notification when an invoice has been on your Worklist for two (2) weeks. This will be sent to all users who have access to the invoice s routing org. It will also be sent weekly thereafter until the invoice has been cleared from the Worklist. BEST PRACTICE TIPS AP Worklist users should release invoice holds within 5 business days of the invoice being placed on the Worklist. Departments should also run the Invoice Holds report at least every two weeks to ensure that all invoices on hold for that department are released in a timely manner. 35

36 ROUTING SEQUENCE One invoice may be placed on multiple invoice holds at one time. For example, an invoice that is over $10,000 may require verification of receipt of goods by the department (Electronic Invoice >5K) and approval by the AP Director (AP Director Approval) before it may be paid. These two holds require action by two different areas of the University the department, to verify receipt, and the AP Director, to approve the expense over $10,000. Under these circumstances the invoice will be routed to one routing group at a time and in a specific order. This will insure that the invoice will only appear on one unit s Worklist at a time. Once a routing group takes the necessary action, the invoice will be routed to the next routing group in the routing sequence, as follows: 1) Accounts Payable 2) Grants and Contracts 3) Department 4) AP Director 5) Controller For example, the invoice described above would first be routed to the department for verification of receipt of goods. Once the department has approved the invoice, it would then be routed to the AP Director for approval. Every invoice hold has been assigned to one of the five routing groups listed above. The routing group may be referred to as the owner of the invoice hold. Each invoice hold will also have a routing organization, which will more specifically define the owner. This is most relevant for the department holds. For more information on invoice holds, click here. If the invoice contains multiple distribution lines, the routing sequence for the department holds is as follows: The invoice will be routed to the organization (with a defined Worklist user) on the first non-reversed distribution line with a hold account PTAEO (project ). If no hold account PTAEO is listed, it will be routed to the organization (with a defined Worklist user) on the first non-reversed distribution line. If none of the organizations has a defined Worklist user, the invoice will be routed to AP for further processing. Therefore, an invoice will not be routed to a department if the organization does not have a defined user to take action. Making sure each organization within the unit has an end user assigned is critical to the routing process. 36

37 Invoices that are not routed Not all invoices on hold that require input from the department are routed to the department via the AP Worklist. This is either due to the complexity of the hold issue, as with the EID holds, or the complexity of the invoice, as with multi-department invoices. Under these circumstances, an exchange with the AP Holds team is still necessary. Hold Codes. The following hold codes will not be routed via the Worklist due to the complexity of the issues involved: EID Automatic Hold EID Hold MULTI-DEPT INVOICE Vendors. Invoices from the following vendors are excluded from routing: DHL WORLDWIDE EXPRESS Vendor # FEDERAL EXPRESS CORP (FEDEX) Vendor # UNITED PARCEL SERVICE (UPS) Vendor # SHRED IT CONNECTICUT INC Vendor # These vendors typically submit a comprehensive invoice to the University, rather than separate invoices for each University unit. If this invoice were routed to a department s Worklist, the system would require the department to correct each invalid PTAEO on the invoice, not just those belonging to the department. Fully posted invoices. In very rare and anomalous situations, an invoice may be fully posted and on hold. These invoices will not be routed via the AP Worklist. Other Circumstances. There may be other circumstances that require an exchange between AP and the department in order to release the invoice hold. These instances should be rare, and will be avoided if at all possible. The best business practice is for the invoice to be routed to the department s Worklist. Because of these exceptions, it is the best practice for departments to monitor the Invoice Hold Report at least every two weeks, or more frequently, depending on the hold volume for the unit. The Invoice Hold Report will identify all the invoices that are on hold regardless of the action owner. 37

38 AP ROUTING HOLDS The Worklist process for routing the invoices to the appropriate routing org, places a routing hold on the invoice in addition to the invoice hold. The routing hold identifies, among other things, the action owner and the routing org. The routing holds are as follows: AP Workflow Hold AP (Routing Hold for AP) AP Workflow Hold G&C (Routing Hold for G&C) AP Workflow Hold Dept (Routing Hold for Departments) AP Workflow Hold Direct (Routing Hold for AP Director) AP Workflow Hold Cont (Routing Hold for Controller) When viewing an invoice in Procurement Inquiry, at least two holds will be visible for the active invoice hold. For example, again referencing the invoice described above, once the department has approved the invoice, two holds will be released: 1) Electronic Invoice >5K; and 2) AP Workflow Hold Dept. Simultaneously, the AP Workflow Hold Direct will be placed on the invoice in addition to the AP Director Approval hold already in place. Once the AP Workflow Hold Direct is in place, the invoice will be routed to the AP Director for approval. As an invoice can only be routed to one routing org at a time, only one routing hold can be active on an invoice at any given time. The routing hold will indicate which routing group/action owner has the active invoice hold and is currently responsible for taking action to release those holds. 38

39 HELP Technical difficulties, please contact the ITS Help Desk. ITS Help Desk For questions about a business process such as why is this invoice on hold or how do I release this invoice from hold, please contact the AP Help Desk. Accounts Payable Help Desk ap.holds@yale.edu If an exchange with AP Holds is necessary it must include the following information: o Vendor name o Invoice number o If a PTAEO is necessary, all segments, including the expenditure type, must be provided. o If verification of receipt of goods is required, the unit should the name of the individual who received the good or verified that the services were provided. o If approval is required, the must identify an individual who is a START Disbursement Approver and, if that person is not the sender that approver must be copied on the . 39

40 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Relevant Yale University Policies and Procedures Procedure 3401 PR.5, Accounts Payable Holds and Bounces Policy 3401, General Payment Policy 3201, General Purchasing Policy 3240, Receipt of Goods and Services Procedure 3240 PR.1, Verifying Receipt of Goods and Services ( Companion Tools Procurement Inquiry Invoice Hold Report Expenditure Type Locator ( PTAEO Validator ( ITS System Status ( 40